Sunday, June 19, 2011

My BFF's Wedding: The Rehearsal

My best friend Sheridan got married this weekend. We've been friends since 8th grade, and even though she's moved all over the country since then, we've stuck together. Now, she lives in Little Rock with her partner Drew, and the two finally got hitched after 10 years (off and on) of shackin' up. I was one of three bridesmaids.

As I've stated plenty of times before, I'm no fan of elaborate weddings. I'm kind of a dude when it comes to things like that. So when my invites for the "bridal luncheon" and "rehearsal dinner" came in the mail, I just rolled my eyes. I'd already volunteered to make Sheridan's cupcakes on the day before her wedding, and these two social commitments sounded like a huge time-suck. Who needs to rehearse for a 20-minute wedding ceremony? We're just standing there, right?

But I must say, the delicious vegan options (and abundance of wine) offered at Sheridan's rehearsal dinner totally changed my mind. By the 7 p.m. dinner on Friday, my mom and I had managed to finish baking 160 vegan cupcakes. So the red wine at the dinner was much-needed. But I was even more impressed by Molly's amazing vegan spread. Molly is Sheridan's partner Drew's mom, and since the two of them went vegan in January, she made a mostly-vegan buffet for us.

She made vegan sushi as an appetizer!

My favorite dish was this Rice Stuffing with Dried Cranberries. It reminded me of Thanksgiving! Sorry the photo is out of focus:

And the Chickpea, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad was so refreshing on the hot June night:

Look at this colorful raw Beet Salad!

These carrots were cooked to perfection:

And the French Potato Salad was cool and hearty, as was the Citrus Asparagus:

But Molly (and her sisters) didn't stop there. They also made four varieties of vegan truffles! Frangelico truffles, coconut surprise, almond, and peanut butter date bites:

At the end of the dinner, Sheridan and Drew learned about their surprise honeymoon ... to Jamaica!!!!!

I'm super jealous of their sweet trip (they should be there now!), and the rehearsal spread was fantastic! So my opinion of rehearsal dinners has made a complete 180. I completely approve of them so long as delicious vegan food is involved.

You're lucky vegan food is involved! I have to go to a wedding this weekend that's not going to be as vegan-friendly, or as comfortable (why do I agree to these things?). I like how the sushi look like happy faces :)

My name is Bianca ...

About Me

I'm a 9-year vegan, 19-year vegetarian from the Mid-South, not too far from the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. And that means cornbread, butter beans, and collard greens.
These days, I live in Memphis. Check out my cookbook — Cookin' Crunk. It's filled with yummilicious veganized soul food and country classics.